- Erdapfel
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For the tuber whose name in many languages translates literally as "earth apple" or "apple of the earth" (commonly shortened to "apple[s]," as in French pommes [de terre]), see Potato.
The Erdapfel (German: lit. earth apple) produced by Martin Behaim in 1492 is considered to be the oldest surviving terrestrial globe. It is constructed of a laminated linen ball in two halves, reinforced with wood and overlaid with a map painted by Georg Glockendon[1].
The Americas are not included, as Columbus returned to Spain no sooner than March 1493. The globe shows an enlarged Eurasian continent and an empty ocean between Europe and Asia. The mythical island of Saint Brendan is included. Japan and Asian islands are disproportionately large.
The idea to call the globe "apple" may be related to the Reichsapfel ("Imperial Apple", Globus cruciger) which was also kept in Nuremberg along with the Imperial Regalia (Reichskleinodien).
From its creation until early in the 16th century, it stood in a reception room in the Nuremberg town hall. After that time it was held by the Behaim family. In 1907, it was transferred to the Germanic Museum in Nuremberg.
See also
- Ancient world maps
- Flat Earth
References
- ^ Behaim globe at Bayern-online (in German)
External links
Categories:- History stubs
- Old maps of the world
- Globes
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